Working with Joseph has been fantastic. He really wants to work and work well. When we feel like we are done, we are then able to go our separate ways because we both have a good amount of other things to work on. Something else that I have really enjoyed about working with Joseph is how knowledgeable he is. He really enjoys researching and learning which has been helpful to me to help me to learn more about this scene. There have been some great moments working with Joseph. There was one day where I left to use the bathroom and as soon as I come back, we started a run of our scene. Joseph really liked that time that he had to sit waiting for me. He liked it because it felt like it would actually feel if he was in a hospital waiting for someone, anyone, to come visit him. It is really great to see him have those moments and it inspired me to have moments like that also. As we work together, I think that I have been having moments like that. There is an instant were I start exclaiming, “I don’t care!” and go into to hug Rich. It was while we were practicing that I realized that the brother says “I don’t care!” because he doesn’t care about Rich’s AIDS in that moment enough that he is willing to hug him, even though he is so fearful of the disease.

This is not a fast-paced scene. There are a good amount of pauses that just naturally happen because of the awkwardness and tenderness of the scene. It is interesting to play around with this scene because of its pacing. It has its challenges, but there is so much power that comes from its slower pace. This is a scene that is really important to make sure that I am invested in the circumstances of the scene from the beginning. When we did our first performance, I waited to enter letting the nervousness of the brother settle in to bring that urgency and awkwardness of the scene. I was very happy that I took that time to do that before we performed. I hope that Joseph was okay with me taking that much time.